Girls, gays and theys, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you this, but ARQ nightclub is officially on the market. Yep, the fate of the iconic trash alley is in the hands of those with dollarydoos in their pocket.
It’s sad but it’s true, but the building that hosts the famous queer nightclub ARQ is hitting the market faster than a twink hits poppers on the dance floor.
Although the 1230sqm compound — which is host to a handful of businesses including ARQ — doesn’t have a price on it yet, it has been reported that the building facing Flinders St and Taylor St may go for somewhere between $45-$50 million.
Shadd Daniel Danesi has owned the building for three decades now.
Nick Lower, Selin Ince and Leon Alaban of Savills Australia and Harry George of CBRE Australia are the agents selling the building, but only via an expression of interest campaign.
So no, there won’t be any walking into an office with a briefcase of cash and just buying it upfront.
Buyers can take the building completely vacant or fully tenanted. Neighbouring businesses that share the building with ARQ include Ezy Mart and the Italian restaurant Love Is Delicious. So really, it’s all up to the new owner to see what happens to these businesses.
In exciting news, the City of Sydney is simultaneously operating a little strategic review of planning controls, which in layman’s terms means buildings can be taller along all of Oxford St, and dance floors can potentially be wider as well.
So whoever acquires ARQ nightclub can definitely make it something swanky and not… whatever it is now.
“The proposed changes to planning rules will allow for taller buildings along Oxford Street, in a bid to transform the tired strip into a massive cultural and creative precinct,” said Harry George.
“ARQ represents an extremely rare opportunity for an incoming purchaser to secure a property within one of Sydney’s finest inner-city suburbs.”
If you need me, I definitely won’t be in trash alley/smokers’ alley anytime soon. Looking forward to a rejuvenated and revitalised ARQ however. Maybe soon I’ll actually want to go there.
